Page 1 - LN-CH 9

Animal Husbandry:
1. Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. It deals
with the care and breeding of livestock like buffaloes, cows, pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goat,
etc. It also includes poultry farming and fisheries. More than 70% of the world’s livestock
population is in India and China. Many new technologies have also been applied to achieve
improvement in quality and productivity.
2. to improve quality and quantity in animal husbandry are:
I. Management of Farms and Farm Animals
(i) Dairy farm management is the management of animals for milk and its products for
human consumption.
(a) It deals with processes and systems to improve quality and quantity of milk.
(b) Milk yield depends mainly on the quality of breeds in the farm.
(c) Dairy farm management processes include:
• Selection of good breeds having high yielding potential and resistance to the diseases.
• Cattle should be housed-well, should have sufficient water and should be kept in disease-
free conditions.
They should be fed in a scientific manner, with good quality and quantity of fodder.
• Stringent cleanliness and hygiene ©f both the cattle and the handle are very important,
during milking, storage and transport of milk and its products.
• Regular inspection and keeping proper records of ail the activities of’dairy is also
mandatory.
• Regular visits of a veterinary doctor is necessary.
(ii) Poultry farm management includes the management of poultry which i& the class of
domesticated fowl (birds) used for food or for their eggs. It includes chicken, ducks, Turkey
and geese.
The poultry farm management includes following processes:
(a) Selection of disease-free and suitable poultry breeds
(b) Housing should be proper and safe.
(c) Proper food and water should be provided.
(d) Health care and hygiene of poultiy Mrds is mandettery
II. Bee-keeping or apiculture is the maintenance of hives of honeybees for the large
scale production of honey and beewax. The excessive demand of honey for its nutritive
value and bees wax for cosmetics, etc., led to the large scale bee-keeping practices. Bee-
keeping can be practiced in any area, here there a UT sufficient bee pastures of wild shrubs,
fruit orchards and cultivated crops. It is not labour-intensive.
There are several species of honeybees, but most common species reared by bee-keepers is
Apis indica.
The important points for successful bee-keeping are:
(i) Knowledge of the nature and habits of bees.
(ii) Selection of suitable location for keeping the beehives.
(iii) Catching and hiving of swarms (group of bees).
(iv) Management of beehives during different seasons.
(v) Handling and collection of honey and beeswax.
(vi) Keeping beehives in crop fields such as sunflower, Bnmsiea, apple andher, during
flowering period increases pollination efficiency and improves the yield, both crop yield and
honey yield.